Ashes to Ashes
by ElenaLacard
Summary: A story about the fire that raged through McKinley High, and the burns it left behind. Set right after season one, follows no storyline after that. Reviews are loved!
1. Spark

"Rachel, that's too many lights. You'll blow a fuse." Artie's soft but clear voice called to the small brunette bending over the power outlet.

"It's fine! I need these lights!" Rachel snapped back. Artie fell silent, bowing his head. Tina came over and put her hand lovingly on his shoulder.

"I agree, besides all those light are shining on you."

Kurt chimed in, "Shouldn't a star be able to shine on her own" Rachel turned and scowled at the glee club.

"I know that this club is not as important to you guys as it…"

"Whoa, okay Rachel lets just do the number. We can argue about lights later." Mr. Schuster was playing the peacekeeper again. They made it through the number mostly uneventfully, until Finn messed up on the dance moves resulting in Artie's chair being knocked over.

"Really, sorry dude." Finn said as he helped Artie back in.

"It's okay Finn. Really," he said, rubbing his side, "It was my fault. My chair is always in the way. I really should just quit."

"Artie you know that's not true" Tina said, and the rest of the team nodded.

"Yeah. Come on man, you know we can't win without you" Mercedes said smiling.

"Well, actually we probably could." Rachel commented, looking thoughtful. The rest of the club glared at her. Artie hung his head dejectedly and rolled away. Tina and Mercedes scoffed at Rachel as they grabbed their bags and left. The rest of the club dispersed, most shot Rachel a dirty look before they left. Soon it was only Rachel and Finn left in the auditorium. Finn grabbed his bag and turned. Rachel was standing there crying.

"Hey, Rach. You okay?" he said as he walked over to her. Rachel gave a tremendous sniff, shook back her hair and said, "Everybody hates me."

"Hey, it's okay." Finn said, wrapping his arms around her, "They don't hate you. They were just mad about what you said to Artie."

"I don't try to be mean, it just sort of comes out." Rachel's voice was muffled. She buried her head deeper into Finn's chest and cried. Finn held her, rubbing his hands up and down her back. Then he stopped.

"Rach do you smell that?"

"What?"

"It smells really weird in here." Rachel broke away from Finn and suddenly the overloaded power outlet exploded, setting off a deadly chain reaction that was causing fire to travel in between the walls, up throughout the higher floors of the building. But Rachel and Finn didn't know that. All they knew was suddenly the auditorium was on fire. Raging fire.

"GO!" Finn cried pulling Rachel with him, but the fire was waiting on the other side of the door. Rachel screamed when she saw it.

"Come on we'll make it through!" Finn yelled over the screams that were coming from the classrooms now engulfed in flames. He took Rachel's hand and plunged through the fire in front of them.

Artie was not in a very good mood when he left the auditorium. He rolled his way down the hall trying not to be hit in the head with bags. This was fairly unsuccessful. To make things worse, someone slushied him before he was halfway there. He sighed and rolled into the bathroom to get cleaned up. After getting most of it out of his hair and lamenting about his ruined sweater-vest, he rolled back out. It was then that he realized something was wrong. All the students were running the same way. Then he saw it. The fire. It was so close; he could feel the heat making him sweat. His heart was pounding in his ears. He took a deep breath and rolled into the stampede. He was going as fast as he could, but there were so many people running. He was boxed in, unable to turn. All he could do was go with the rush of people and hope he got out alive. He didn't know who did it. All he knew was that somewhere in the confusion his chair tipped. Artie felt his nose break as he hit the floor. Ignoring the blood he tried to get back to where his chair was. Artie pushed himself onto his elbows only to be kicked in the back of the head. He groaned as his glasses went flying. He could feel the students' feet trampling him. He screamed as someone stepped on his back. It had always been sensitive, but now, after being kicked and trampled, it killed! Then everything started to go quiet. Artie opened his eyes. The stampede was over, but the flames were still coming. The heat was scorching his throat with every breath. Artie started pulling himself along the floor. His hand brushed something. Another hand. He turned his head. Who was it? Tina? He hoped not. He hoped she was safe outside. He couldn't bring himself to think the alternative. Artie squinted through the smoke and was able to make out a large figure. He grabbed at the hand and pulled. The body slumped toward him. Artie saw its face and screamed.


	2. Heat

Puck's face was burnt, red and bleeding, his Mohawk singed. His eyes were closed and Artie thinking fast grabbed Puck's wrist and used the little strength he had to try and pull his friend along. Artie dragged his friend close and put his head on Puck's chest. At first Artie heard nothing and was about to turn away sadly, when he felt a pulse running up his arm. He realized it wasn't his and that the only other person there that could have had one was Puck. He was still alive. The living heartbeat that Artie just so wanted to hear made him cry out for joy. And now the hard part; moving.

"Puck please, wake up." Artie's voice was soft and fragile. He was feeling dizzy and nauseous from the fumes that engulfed them. Puck didn't move, no matter how much Artie tried to wake him. He was unconscious.

Finn and Rachel struggled through the hallway when Rachel fell against a locker, gasping and wheezing. She collapsed and slumped on the floor. Finn, still running for his life noticed Rachel was not at his side. He turned around to see a body, slumped on the floor, realizing it's Rachel, he ran back toward her motionless body. One look and Finn knew she won't get up. Finn, sighed in sadness, gathered the lifeless body in his arms and tried to get up. After a few tries, Finn struggled and finally on his feet, he raced toward the door. Breaking out into a ray of sunlight, a gasping Finn dropped to his knees and placed Rachel gently on the ground. She began to cough and then grew perfectly still.

It wasn't anything new. Rachel was being a bitch like always and Artie's self-esteem was at an all time low. Tina walked into her math class, and sat in the back. Her books on the floor she pulled out her papers. There was an odd odor in the room, like burning toast, but it didn't seem to be a problem. A few minutes later, Tina recognized the same odor, but stronger. It was getting humid in the classroom and the other thing was that she wondered where everyone was. Where was her class? Was she missing a meeting in the auditorium?

One minute there was nothing going on and then next she was running down the hallway being chased by the ongoing flames, touching her back as she struggled her way towards the front doors. Suddenly, Tina tripped over something, lying in the hallway and fell forwards, her legs sprawled out in different directions. She was unable to get up from the fumes that surrounded her. The next thing she knew, there was a flash of yellow, orange and red and then nothing.


	3. Getting Away

"HELP! PLEASE, SOMEBODY! I THINK MY GIRLFRIEND'S DEAD!" Finn couldn't keep the fear out of his voice. Two ME's ran over to him. They put Rachel on a gurney and pushed her away. Finn ran after. They lead him to a place where a few other people on gurneys, sitting up straight getting burns treated. Finn and Rachel's gurney were heading toward an ambulance. They got there just as another gurney with a different passenger arrived.

"Damn! This is the last one we can only take one more." The driver said.

"Take her! She needs it more! Look at her!" Finn cried, not bothering to look at the other person trying to make it to the hospital. The ME's looked at each other and nodded.

"No, no, no he needs this!" Finn heard a voice beside him say but he didn't care. He was too busy loading Rachel in the back of the ambulance.

"We'll try to stabilize him and then get him to the hospital as quick as we can." Then the doors closed and Rachel was gone. Finn heard the ME's working on the boy beside him, and someone crying.

"Di-did F-f-inn make it?" Finn's head whipped around. Then he saw the boy on the gurney. His face looked the same. The same porcelain skin, the same sharp features, it was the eyes that were different. Those clear blue eyes now looked haunted with worry and panic, and his delicate hands were practically black. It was undoubtedly Kurt. The person crying next to him was Mercedes. Finn walked over to them.

"Kurt," he whispered softly, "I'm here."

"Finn… I… c… can't… I can't… br-breathe" Kurt's voice was weak. When he tried to take a breath it sounded like an old radio crackling.

"Hey, it's okay." Finn said as he brushed Kurt's hair back with his hand. He kept stroking Kurt's soft hair but his mind was somewhere else. Kurt was way worse off than Rachel. Why was he so selfish? He only thought about the one he loved and so had forgotten that there were others who needed help. Mercedes stopped crying and leaned against Finn.

"Hey look Kurt, the ambulance is almost here you're going to make it. Just hold on," It was obviously a fake cheeriness in her voice, "Hold on Kurt." She said, and then burst into tears.

"Finn… please… my mom…I… need… mom." Kurt was sounding desperate, "Finn… where is my mom… she … why is… isn't she here to hold me! I need her!" Tears were streaming out of Kurt's eyes. His black hand grabbed at Finn's collar, pulling him down, "WHERE IS SHE!" Finn could think of nothing else to do. He sat down on the gurney and went back to stroking Kurt's hair. Then Finn had a thought. He closed his eyes and stared singing, "You're not alone, together we stand I'll be by your side you know I'll take your hand…" As Finn sang, Kurt's grip on his shirt loosened.

Mike would have rather shaved his head than admit that he was rushing to get to English class. They were doing a poetry unit and he was really happy. Besides singing and dancing, poetry was his passion. Sometimes he would write a poem and it would lead to a song. After writing some music to go with the words, he would start working on a dance.

"Hey man! Wait up!" Mike turned.

"Oh hey." Mike said to his three friends that were walking toward him.

"We were thinking of skipping. I wanted to go and ride the magic box that takes you to new places, but Santana wanted to go for slushies." Brittany said with a carefree toss of her head. Mike didn't have the heart to tell Brittany that the elevator wasn't magic.

"Nah, I think I'll pass." Mike hardly ever spoke more than ten words at a time. He was very shy. This did not go unnoticed by his friends and they were careful to give him his space. The most they had seen him open up was when they were singing to mister Schuester.

"That's cool dude. Catch you on the flipside!" Matt said smiling at his best friend. Mike smiled back; glad his secret was still safe. After his friends left, Mike ran down the hallway. As he ran he tried to think of a good excuse for being late. He was so concentrated on thinking of one that he almost didn't hear Tina's scream. Mike saw her fall, saw the flames, and without a thought for his own safety, Mike ran to her. By the time he got there, it was almost too late. The flames were so close to Tina that her pink extensions were melting. The skin on her legs looked like something you might see in one of those gory movies Matt liked to watch. He grabbed her hands and pulled. He scooped her up and took off toward the stairs. He managed to stumble down them without dropping Tina. Mike reached the door. He tried to push it open but for some reason it wouldn't budge. The fumes were choking him. Mike held Tina tight, and kicked the door with all the strength he had left. The fresh air felt wonderful. It was amazing to be out of that smoke filled building. He ran toward the flashing lights he saw in the distance.

"PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP! SHE NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!" Mike called to the world. A few ME's with a gurney came over. Mike gently lay Tina down and helped them push her to the parking lot. They parked beside another gurney. Mike heard urgent voices beside him and looked.

"Finn! Mercedes!" Finn, who was consoling Mercedes, looked up.

"Mike! Oh thank god you're okay! Oh my god! Tina! Not Tina and Kurt!"

Mike couldn't take the pain anymore. He wanted to know where his friends were. Where was Matt? Did he make it out? There was just no way of knowing, and that scared Mike. As he sobbed on the ground he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him. Mike heard Mercedes' soft voice in his ear.

"Shhhhh… It's okay. It's okay Mike." She said, holding him like he was her own child. Soon Mike felt a large hand on is shoulder. Finn.

"Hey man, look up." Finn said. Mike shook his head. He didn't want to see Kurt lying there or Tina's lungs being pumped with air.

"Mike, I think you might want to look up." It was Mercedes this time, and this time Mike listened. He looked up and saw Matt, Brittany, and Santana running toward him. Mike jumped up and pulled Matt into a warm embrace.


	4. Getting Out

If Matt had known what his friend was about to face, he would have never left Mike there alone. But he didn't know, and was walking away.

"I think we should find Puck. He'll have an idea of what to do for fun." Santana suggested.

"But why do we need to find Puck? Is he lost?" Brittany was showing her usual "smarts".

"I think we should go for slushies, like Santana said." Matt chimed in, "As long as you two promise not to slushy…"

"Hey look, Santana! Fireworks!" Brittany was looking through the window of the classroom they were standing next to.

"What?" Santana went over to see what Brittany was looking at.

"There are cool fireworks going on in the classroom." Brittany reached for the doorknob.

"BRITT DON'T!" Santana pushed her friend out of the doorway.

"Santana what's…" but when Matt looked through the window his question was answered.

"But I wanna see the fireworks!" Brittany cried sniffing and pouting like a three year old.

"Britt that's not fireworks it's fire!" Santana yelled, pulling Brittany down the hall.

"Huh?" was the only thing Brittany said as Matt and Santana half dragged half pulled Brittany out of the school. They ran to the parking lot.

"Look! It's Finn and Mercedes and Mike, we should go say hi." Brittany clearly didn't get it, but Matt ran anyway. He wanted to make sure every one was okay. When Matt got there Mike swept him into a hug. Over Mike's shoulder he could see ME's working on two people. He felt a swooping sensation in his stomach when he saw whom they were.

"Mike," Matt said, "Who have you heard from? Do you know who is okay? Mike?" But Mike wasn't talking. Matt held Mike away from his body and saw that Mike's head was lolling down on his chest. Suddenly Mike's legs gave way. Matt caught him and lay him down gently on the ground. Finn ran over.

"What's going on?" he demanded to know.

"I think he fainted." Santana said, her voice choking up.

Three ambulances came into view. They pulled up and started loading Kurt in one.

"Quick! Get him in too!" Mercedes yelled pointing at Mike.

"Yeah, we can take him!" the ME yelled back, "You guys!" He shouted at the people in one of the other ambulances, "Get her out of here!" The ME's loaded Tina and took off. Mike was placed on a gurney in the back of the ambulance with Kurt. Then it too zoomed away.

"So who do we know is safe?" Mercedes said, her lip quivering.

"Well, Rachel's in the hospital. She didn't look so good. That's one." Finn said.

"And Kurt, Tina and Mike. That's four." Said Santana, counting on her fingers.

"And us." Said Matt, "which makes nine."

"Ten, Quinn didn't come to school today." Mercedes said, "So, where are A-Artie an-and P-P-Puck?" Mercedes burst out crying.

Artie coughed. He couldn't see, he could only feel pain, yet somehow he was moving. It was somewhere between crawling and dragging Puck. He could hardly breathe. The dizziness was overwhelming him.

"Puck… please, wake up!" He called out to the lifeless body in his arms. Then Artie collapsed. He felt unbearable pain in his left arm, and then heard some shouting. He felt gentle arms lift him up and away.

_Puck's woken up! _Artie thought to himself, _He's going to get me out of here. And then I can see Tina… _Artie pictured Tina's perfect face. All he wanted was to see her again, to make sure she was safe. He felt something wet on his face, and then he blacked out. The last thing he heard was a voice calling his name.

Mercedes was crying into Matt's shoulder. She was whimpering and calling out to the two people that she needed to see.

"Do you think they got out?" Finn asked Santana.

"If they did, Puck would have come looking for me." She said tears streaming down her face.

"And Artie wouldn't have left without making sure that Tina is okay." Mercedes said through sniffs.

"But, wait. That means they're still insi…" Finn trailed off. He looked at Matt. They nodded, and then they ran. They ran toward the friends that needed them. They ran toward the fire.

"Son I can't let you go back there." A firefighter put out his arm and stopped Finn from running any closer to the school.

"My friends are in there!" Finn yelled, towering over the firefighter's head.

"Son…" But the firefighter didn't get any farther because Finn pushed him out of the way. He and Matt ran into the building, searching for their friends.

"Artie and Puck both had science!" Matt shouted over the roar of the fire, "I know that because the last thing Puck told me was that he was glad that he could cheat off Artie's paper!"

"The science room is just down this hall!" Finn shouted back. They ran down the hall calling out Artie and Puck's names, praying they would answer.

"FINN!" Matt's voice rang out. Finn looked to see him bending over two figures on the floor. Finn went over. When he got there, he screamed. Puck's face was so messed up that Finn wouldn't have recognized him if Puck hadn't re-grown his Mohawk over the summer. With a pained look Matt picked up Puck and ran off leaving Finn alone with the other figure. With a gentle hand Finn rolled it over. He felt his heart break when he saw that it was Artie. Artie's left arm and shoulder was burnt. There was blood dripping out of his mouth and nose. His shirt was stained with something else. Something blue. _A slushy_ Finn thought _The last thing that happened before this hell_. With a burst of adrenaline, he picked up Artie and carried him to the door. When they got to the parking lot, Finn called out to one of the ambulance drivers. He came over and helped him carry Artie to where Puck was being loaded. Finn didn't realize he was crying until after they had left.


	5. Rush

Quinn blew her nose. The cold medicine had worn off and she was feeling terrible.

"Sweetie do you want some tea?" her mom asked, poking her head through the door. Quinn nodded and turned on the T.V. Flipping to through the channels, one caught her eye.

"Breaking news! Fire At William McKinley High School!"

Quinn gasped, and turned up the volume.

"At 2:30 pm today a raging fire broke out at our very own WMHS. The fire destroyed the school's entire left wing. Four students declared dead, and 20 are missing. I am here with a survivor, Mercedes Jones. Mercedes, how does it feel to have escaped certain death?"

Quinn felt tears burn when she saw her friend come on the screen.

"It feels good to know that lots of kids got out, but there are so many that didn't and, and I still haven't h-heard from s-s-some of my friends, an-and that's sc-scary!" Mercedes broke down. Quinn cried silently.

"Quinnie? What's wrong?" Her mom said as she walked in with the tea. When she saw the T.V., the mug slipped out of her hands and went crashing to the floor.

What Quinn didn't know was that she wasn't the only one watching the news.

"Do you want a drink, sweetie?" Carole said

"Nah, I'm good." Burt said, turning on the T.V. He flipped to the news, just to check the weather. He was going on a fishing trip with Finn and he wanted to make sure that it wouldn't rain.

"Breaking news! Fire At William McKinley High School!"

Burt sat up.

"CAROLE!" Burt called into the kitchen.

"Yeah. What happened?"

"There was a fire… at the," he swallowed, "At the sc-school."

"Oh My God! Is Finn okay?"

"I don't know. They haven't said anything."

"Four dead, oh god! What if…"

"I don't have time for what if's right now. I need to know if my son is alive." Burt ran to the door. It was just like last time. Only that time it was Kurt asking if Mommy was okay, not Carole asking where her son was. Carole ran over and put on her jacket. They ran to Burt's car. Burt started the car and drove. He threw his phone into Carole's lap.

"Here," he said, "Dial Kurt's number, then try Finn's."

Carole fumbled with the phone for a bit then held it up to her ear.

"He-He's not, um, answering." Carole bit her lip. Burt was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

"Try Finn's." he said simply. The last time he was asking Kurt to call mommy over and over. The words were always the same, She's not answering.

"Finn! Oh my gosh, are you okay." Carole's face was taught with worry.

"Sorry Mrs. Hudson. It's not Finn. I'm his friend Mercedes." Carole knew Mercedes. Kurt had brought her over to hang out one afternoon. She was a nice girl, but if she had Finn's cell, did that mean…

"Where is my son?" Carole said, trying to keep her voice level.

"Umm… Well he got out, b-b-but,"

"But What?" Carole could hear Mercedes crying through the phone.

"H-H-He um, When he h-heard th-th-that A-A-Artie and Puck w-were still inside, h-h-he r-r-ran back." Mercedes stopped talking only to give herself time to cry, "I'm so s-sorry!"

"Has he come back out yet? Can you see him?" Carole felt hot tears fall down her face. Burt held her hand.

"No, but I'll call you as soon as I do."

"Okay," Carole said, wiping her tears, "Okay, um… have you seen Kurt? He's usually with you."

"Yeah, we were walking t-to c-class together when the uh, when it happened. He and I ran for it but…" here Mercedes broke off. Carole could hear her sobbing. "The-the ceiling came d-down on us. Kurt, Kurt held it up so I could get out. His hands were burnt up pretty bad, and he can't breathe so good, but he's alive. They t-took him to the h-hospital." Mercedes said, said as she was trying to calm herself down.

"Okay honey calm down e-everything i-is going to be okay, now tell me c-can you s-see Finn now?" Carole said, trying not to cry again.

"No, but I promise, I will call you." Mercedes didn't stutter this time. She was serious.

"Okay, thank you." Carole hung up, "Kurt's in the hospital, Finn's still in the school." Burt pulled over and did an illegal U turn, and headed for the school.

"We'll go and see if they need our help at the school. Then we find Kurt."

Carole nodded; secretly glad they were going to her son first. Halfway there, Carole's phone rang. She grabbed at it frantically.

"Hello?" She said, praying that the voice would be her son.

"Mom?"

"FINN! Are you okay sweetie?" Carole felt tears burn again, but this time she welcomed them. Her son was safe.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm in Mercedes' car. We're going to the hospital. I have to know if Rachel is okay."

"Sweetie, if you're allowed, go in and find Kurt first. Tell him we're coming."

"I love you, mom. Bye."

"I love you too." Carole hung up, "We go to the hospital." She said to Burt. Burt usually followed the speed limit, but under these circumstances, he thought it would be okay to speed.

When Finn and Mercedes got to the hospital, Rachel and Mike were sitting in the waiting room.

"Rach!" Finn swept her into a kiss. Rachel held him there for a while. Mercedes ran to Mike.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I just fainted from all the excitement, and the fumes." He added as an afterthought.

"And you're okay Rachel?" Mercedes walked to her.

"Yes I'm fine. Clean bill of health. Good thing too, sectionals are coming up. I hope everyone will be okay to perform." Rachel said, letting go of Finn.

"Rachel, they might be dead." Rachel turned, it was Mike, "Rachel, Kurt, Tina, Artie, and Puck are in critical condition they might die." He said, tears streaming down his face, "You just wanted to make sure your boyfriend was okay. Isn't that why we're sitting here instead of at their side? Isn't that why you only asked if Finn was admitted?" Mike was shouting now. Rachel and Mercedes were crying. Finn thought he should defend his girlfriend, but Mike seemed to have a point.

"I have to find Kurt." Finn said simply, "He's going to be my brother. I'm supposed to look after him." Finn walked to the front desk, got Kurt's room number and walked down the hall.

"I think I'll visit Artie." Rachel said, "I'll stay with him until his parents get here. I feel bad about what I said to him." Then she too walked to the front desk and down the hall.

"I'm going to go with Tina. Her parents aren't here yet and I know I would want somebody looking out for me." Mercedes added.

"I'll go and check on Puck." Mike said quietly. He was embarrassed for blowing up at Rachel. Of course if the person he loved was caught in a fire he would have only thought about her. "See ya." Mike said glumly and walked off to find Puck's room.


	6. Pain Everlasting

When Finn got to Kurt's room, a doctor was just coming out.

"How is he?" Finn asked him, "Is he okay?"

"Are you family?" the doctor asked him, disregarding what Finn said.

"Yeah, I'm like his step-brother." Finn didn't see why this was important. Why couldn't this useless doctor tell him what was going on?

"Well, since you're family I have to tell you the facts. He's not good. There wasn't much we could do for his hands and his lungs were so torn up from debris his only hope is a lung transplant. We don't have a lung for him, and if we did we couldn't do the surgery with him in such a unstable condition." The doctor spoke in a fake sympathetic tone, as though he was trying his best to care about what happened. Finn swallowed.

"Will he be able to sing again?" The doctor sighed.

"If he even makes it out of here," He said slowly, "He will never sing again." To Finn the word that stood out to him most was "if". _If_ Kurt got out. _If_ Kurt lived. Finn knew enough about doctors to know that they would never tell you up front that the patient is going to die. They always made it sound as though there was a chance, but Finn knew. Finn knew Kurt was close enough to death for them to be using the word If.

"Can I see him?" Finn said trying to keep his voice steady. The doctor nodded and opened the door.

Rachel tried not to think about what she would find in Artie's room. The thought of nurses pulling a white sheet over him kept popping into her head.

_No, _she told herself sternly, _Artie isn't dead. If he were the lady at the desk would have told me. _She was at the door before she knew it. She pushed it open and gasped. Artie was in a crisp white hospital gown lying on a bed with crisp white sheets. This only made the burns on his arm stand out more. Artie's whole left arm was blackish red, and his nose was obviously broken, but there weren't any tubes sticking down his throat. Rachel saw this as a good sign. Still when he took a breath it made a sound that scared her. There was one thing in the room that comforted Rachel: the heart monitor. The steady beeping meant that Artie was still alive. Rachel walked toward him and sat down on a plastic chair beside his bed. She reached over and took his hand. It felt light and dry. Without his gloves on, she could feel scars and calluses on his palm.

"Artie?" She whispered, but Artie didn't respond. Rachel sighed and closed her eyes.

"I want to say that I'm sorry." She confessed to the unconscious boy, "We could never win without you amazing voice, or your guitar skills. I never learned to play. I've always envied that you could. If I learned maybe I could be the next Taylor Swift." Rachel laughed softly, "but what I really wanted to say is that I hope you get better really, really soon because if you don't then I'll probably… well, actually I don't know what I'd do if… you're my friend, Artie, and I want you to know that you have lots of friends that love you." Rachel felt a single tear fall.

"Ma'am," Rachel turned to see a doctor with long red hair pulled into a ponytail, "I'm Doctor Grumman. I need to treat the burn on Arthur's back."

_Arthur?_ Rachel thought, _Oh, Artie's real name._

"Oh, okay." Rachel said as she got up.

"You can stay if you want to." The doctor smiled, "Just step back a bit." Rachel did. Dr. Grumman rolled Artie onto his side. She opened the back of his gown to reveal a large burn on Artie's shoulder. Rachel saw the burn, but something else caught her eye. Big white scars crisscrossed Artie's back. They looked like they had already healed.

"The fire did all that?" Rachel asked, horrified.

"Oh no, no, no," said Dr. Grumman, "In fact, the fire was the least of his troubles. Those are old scars. Probably from the car crash he was in. No, the fire caused a few burns and some carbon monoxide poisoning but the big problem was the internal bleeding, and a few broken ribs."

"How would that have happened?"

"Trampled." Said the doctor sadly, "All those kids trying to get out. They either didn't see him, or they didn't care. You didn't even see it coming, did you sugar?" Rachel smiled sadly. Artie didn't deserve any more pain. She had no idea that he had been disabled in a car crash. Rachel always assumed that he had been born with the disability.

"Is he going to be okay?" Rachel's question was hardly audible. Dr. Grumman finished dressing the wound on Artie's back. Then she turned with a small smile.

"He's going to be fine. He might not remember much. It looks like he hit his head a few times. Be prepared to explain what happened." Dr. Grumman looked like she really cared. Then with a pat on Rachel's shoulder she left. Rachel resumed her place at Artie's side.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but you're going to be fine." Rachel took his hand and tried to smile. She was surprised when she could without difficulty. It looked like Artie wasn't going to answer so she amused her self by looking around the room. There wasn't much and most of it was white.

_There really isn't any colour in this place. _Rachel thought to herself, _it must feel weird to wake up in sea of white. _Then Rachel had an idea. It was cheesy, but she knew she would like it if it were she. Rachel practically ran down to the gift shop. After much deliberation, she chose a bouquet with sunny yellow daisies and a few red flowers Rachel didn't know the name of. She also bought a clear plastic vase and some gold star stickers. After paying, Rachel sat outside the gift shop. She was sticking the gold stars onto the vase. That way, if Artie didn't wake up when she was there he'd know it was she who had left the bouquet. Also, the gold stars would brighten up the plain vase. After she arranged the flowers in a spectacular display, she went back up the stairs to Artie's room. This time she didn't hesitate before going in. It was so quiet; all Rachel could hear was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. She placed the vase of flowers on Artie's bedside table. The flowers stood out like a daisy in a coal mine, but they did brighten it up a bit. Rachel sat back down in her seat she looked at Artie's sleeping face. She thought he would look at peace but, for some reason, he looked worried, scared. What was going on in that brilliant mind of his?

"_You did so great!" _

"_Mom, we lost." A little boy with thick glasses and messed up hair said sadly, "and I suck."_

"_No you don't." his mother said, "And winning doesn't really matter." Clearly it mattered to this little boy, because he couldn't stop a few tears slipping out. "Artie what's wrong?"_

"_Everyone blames me for losing," He said, tears falling down his cheeks in waves, "Because I run so slow, and they say I'm a nerd just because I get A's, and they make fun of my glasses." Artie was now bawling. His mom swept him into a hug and carried him to the car. _

"_You know what? I think that you need a pick-me-up." She said wiping Artie's face with a tissue, "How about we go for Ice Cream?" Artie sniffed and nodded. _

"_I'd like that mommy." He said, and climbed into the front seat beside his mom. For the car ride Artie told him mom about the book he was reading. It was about a wizard school in Britain. There were three friends that went on adventures together._

"_I wish I had a friend like Ron." He was jabbering. His mom wasn't really listening. It had started to rain and the road was slippery. She was coming up to an intersection. Suddenly she felt the car keel over as if hit by a huge sledgehammer. Then it all went black. Artie didn't even see the truck until it was skidding into him. He screamed as the car turned over. The door opened. He fell out. He was pinned under the car. The pain almost killed him. He screamed. He could feel a slow warmth on his back, but for some reason his legs were cold. No, they weren't. They, what did they feel like? _

"_HELP!" Artie screamed, squirming to get out. "HELP! MOM! MOM? HELP! PLEASE, SOMEBODY!" Then the world started to go black at the edges. _

"_Holy shit! What happened here? Oh damn…" the voice sounded so far away. The last thing Artie could remember was wondering what shit meant and if it was a good thing. _

Where was he? Artie couldn't remember. His eyes opened a little. White. Hospital white. Now, why was he in the hospital? He remembered pulling Puck along the floor. Why? To get out of somewhere. Right, now all he had to do is figure out where he was trying to get out of. A car? Yeah, that sounded right. That was it. Yeah… Artie closed his eyes again.

"Artie? You awake?" Rachel said as softly as she could. Artie opened his eyes again. He couldn't tell who was talking to him. He looked up only to see a colourful blur.

"Who are you?" He said, squinting. Rachel did a double take.

"It's me, Rachel. You remember me right?" she said nervously.

"Yeah, I remember. I just can't see. Where are my glasses?"

"I think you lost them in the fire."

"Fire?" Rachel could have kicked herself. The doctor said he might not remember anything.

"Artie," Rachel said, choosing her words carefully, "What do you remember?"

"I… I remember dragging Puck away from… something. Was it a fire?" Artie suddenly panicked, "I remember now! The fire was chasing us. I fell. The fire it, it was at the school! Tina! Where is she? Did she get out?" Rachel could see tears in his eyes. She desperately wanted to lie. Tell him everything was okay.

"Rachel?" a hoarse voice called from the doorway. Rachel looked and saw Finn. It looked as though he had been crying. Rachel got up without a second thought. Artie let her.

"Finn what happened?" She said her voice full of real sympathy.

"Kurt died."

Finn walked in the room. He saw Kurt lying there; almost as pale as the sheets he lay on. Finn walked up to him. He took a deep breath and sat down next to the small soprano.

"Hey, Kurt." Finn whispered. Kurt turned his head and tried to smile.

"Finn," He rasped, "They won't tell me and I need to know. Am I dying?" Finn hadn't been expecting this. He thought about it for a bit. If he told the truth, Kurt might lose his will to live, but lying didn't seem right.

"They say, uh, they say you'll die if you don't get a new lung and…

"And they don't have lung for me." Kurt finished.

"They'll get one." Finn blurted out, "You're not going to die!" Finn felt his voice break. Kurt laughed a small mirthless laugh.

"Finn, I need you to know something." His voice was like an old scratched record, "All those times you saved me, all those times I never thanked you."

"Yeah well, there were all those times when I was the one throwing you into dumpsters." Finn was trying, and failing, to keep his voice level.

"Tell my dad that I love him and I wish I could have been a better son. Tell your mom that I wished that I could have had more time." Kurt was like a candle with almost all it's wick gone. Fading fast.

"Kurt…" But Finn couldn't finish his sentence. Kurt pulled a stack of envelopes out from under his pillow.

"There is one for each Glee member." Kurt said, "Make sure they get them."

"I will Kurt." Finn gave up trying to fight the tears, "And I promise I will never forget you. I always admired you. You were always so strong. No matter what happened you were always true to yourself." Kurt's eyes shone. Then they looked away.

"Finn, you know that I've loved you since you saved me from Puck. I just want," he swallowed and blushed, "I want to know what it's like to kiss a boy." Though he was blushing Kurt was full of pride. Finn knew he was waiting for a refusal, but Finn looked at the dying boy and knew that Kurt would have no other chance. Finn stood up and leaned over. Kurt was clearly surprised. Finn didn't know what to expect, but he knew this was the right thing to do. The kiss wasn't long, but the passion was there. In that brief second Kurt let all the longing he'd kept inside flow. Finn didn't think it was that bad. He was too busy thinking about the fact that his almost brother was about to die. After they broke away Finn sat back down. Kurt's cheeks were even more flushed than before.

"Thanks." He said simply. Then his eyes closed, "Finn."

"Yeah?"

"Could the glee club sing at my funeral?"

"Yeah," Finn said, wiping his eyes, "What song?" Kurt thought for a minute.

"_I will remember you._" He said at last. Finn nodded.

"I love you Finn…" the heart monitor began beeping faster. Finn didn't have time to react. Suddenly doctorswere running in with a crash cart. Kurt's gown was opened and they shocked him. Nothing. They tried again. Nothing. Finn began to cry. They tried again. Burt and Carole walked into the room. Nothing. Burt ran to his son. They kept trying. Nothing. Burt began calling out to his son's name. They tried. Nothing. Then nothing. Finn left. He couldn't look at Burt or his mom knowing the last words that Kurt said.

"W-what?" Rachel couldn't believe her ears. Finn looked so confuse and scared. He was like a little boy being told that his pet frog wasn't going to wake up.

"Kurt's dead." Finn said this without any emotion.

"What's going on?" Finn looked over Rachel's shoulder and saw Artie lying there looking confused and scared.

"Artie…" Finn began, but didn't have the heart to finish.

"Did something happen?" Artie's voice was frantic now, "Is it Tina? What happened?" Artie was trying to sit up, but fell back with a cry of pain. Rachel walked over and sat back down.

"It's not Tina." She said slowly.

"Well something happened and you're talking like my mom did when she told me that I would never walk again, so I'm guessing it's not a good something." Artie's words came out rushed. He wasn't even trying to fight the tears falling down his face. He just wanted to know what was going on and who was hurt.

"Kurt's dead." Finn said it. That was it. Simple facts. No sugar coating, no putting it off. Artie felt like there would be nothing right in the world again. He wished he could just leave this world forever. Kurt. Sweet, sarcastic, Kurt. The Kurt who had given Artie a hard time every time he wore sweater vests was now gone. The Kurt who was the one who found him crying in the choir room after his break up with Tina was also gone. The Kurt that sent shivers up Artie's spine every time he heard Kurt sing, gone. All of the times Kurt battled with Rachel, all the times they were slushied together, all of it, gone. Artie closed his eyes. When Rachel asked him if he was okay, Artie didn't respond. Artie just lay there with his eyes closed, as though he were sleeping, but Finn knew that Artie wouldn't sleep for a long time.

"You can't see her right now her parents asked to be alone." This nurse was getting on Mercedes' nerves.

"Well, can you tell me how she is?" Mercedes said, hoping to sound urgent, but she just ended up sounding scared.

"Well, you're not family, but I can tell you the basics. She's in a coma from the fumes. All we can do is hope she comes out of it." And with that the nurse left Mercedes standing there alone. For a while Mercedes just stared at the door. She wished that she could go in. She wished that she could just find all of her friends safe. Mercedes peeked into Tina's room. She saw a woman that looked like Tina's mother crying into the arms of what looked like Tina's dad. Tina herself was lying on a bed with tubes down her throat and in her arms. It looked as though a machine was keeping her alive. Suddenly Mercedes couldn't watch anymore. She ran to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. She rested her head against the brim to catch her breath. Mercedes just wanted to wake up. She wanted this all to be a bad dream. A ringing from inside her pocket woke her from her trance. Her phone. Wiping her mouth, Mercedes answered it.

"Hello?" Mercedes usually answered the phone with "What up?" but she didn't think it fit the circumstances.

"Oh Mercedes," it was Rachel, and it sounded as though she had been crying, "I h-have to tell you s-s-something, but it's bad and n-not good."

"Slow down girl, just let me tell you something bad first."

"Well, yeah. Yeah I guess."

"Tina's in a coma."

"Oh, god." Rachel broke off into more sobs. "B-but now I-I gotta t-tell you something." Rachel took a deep breath, "it's Kurt." As soon as Rachel said that Mercedes' head shot up. Kurt, her Kurt, what had happened to her little boy?

"What happened to him?" Mercedes said, panicked.

"Kurt died." Two words broke her heart.

"What?" Tears fell down Mercedes face faster than she could wipe them away.

"H-he needed a n-new lung, but they c-could-dn't get one in t-t-time…" Rachel trailed off. Mercedes took a deep breath.

"I have to go." She whispered, "I'll call you if I find anything out."

"O-Okay." Mercedes hung up. She leaned back against the cold tiled wall of the bathroom. Nothing would ease the pain in her heart. She tried, for a minute, to believe that Rachel had made a mistake, but the pain only worsened when she brought her self back to reality. Kurt was gone. Her shopping partner, her fashion consultant, and most of all her friend was now gone. Nothing short of death its self could ease the pain in her heart. Pain everlasting.


	7. Chapter 7

"Tell me dude, do you think Santana will ever fall for the Puck-Master again?" Puck said poking the burnt side of his face and hoping Mike would laugh, but Mike just sighed and bowed his head. "Hey man, I was kidding. Of course she will. Girls can't resist me." This time Mike did smile slightly.

"Yeah, you just wish that girls were just all over you." He said softly.

"So what exactly happened? I can't even remember what we were singing in Glee." Puck propped himself up on his elbows.

"Yeah, that's because you skipped rehearsal." Mike said, with only a slight hint of scorn.

"Oh yeah, I was in the locker room with that new girl on the Cheerios." Puck smiled at the memory. Mike laughed in his soft shy way.

"Well I don't know exactly what happened." Mike began, "My guess is that you got knocked out during the stampede. Then Artie dragged you almost to the door. After he passed out Finn and I ran in and got you two out."

"Wait a minute, Wheels got me out?" Puck asked. Mike nodded.

"He was knocked out of his wheelchair. When he was trying to get out, he grabbed you and pulled you along." He finished. Puck lay back on his pillows.

"All of his high school life, I tortured Artie, what was I thinking? I feel like a big jerk."

"You were a big jerk." Mike said, and Puck laughed.

"Yeah, well it still doesn't explain why Artie tried to save me." Puck made a mental note to thank Artie. Wait. Did Artie make it out? As if reading Puck's mind Mike showed him a text sent from Rachel. It said "RTs going 2 B ok thx god!" Puck sighed in relief.

"Did anyone… not get out?" Puck chose his words carefully. Mike suddenly burst into tears.

"I d-don't kn-know." He sobbed, "I w-want ev-everyone to be ok-k, b-b-but I j-just d-don't know." Puck reached out and took Mike's hand.

"Mike, it's okay." He said trying his best to be sympathetic, "Dude everyone's probably fine."

"Puck?" a soft voice from the doorway called. Puck's head whipped around.

"Quinn!" Puck said as he spotted the yellow clad figure in the doorway. Quinn ran over to Puck and kissed him.

"Thank god you're okay." She said, breaking away. "Do you know who got out?"

"Well," Mike said, sniffing, "We've heard from Mercedes, Finn, Matt, Britt, Santana, and Rachel. Artie's in the hospital, but he's going to be okay. I know that Kurt and Tina are in here too, I just don't know if they're okay." As though he could hear them, Finn called Mike's phone. The three friends jumped at the sound.

"Hello?"

"Mike?"

"Finn? You okay man?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I gotta tell you something bad though."

"What?"

"Kurt died." Mike dropped the phone. He doubled over and threw up on the pristine white floor. Quinn jumped back to avoid being splattered. Mike kept dry heaving for a while after his stomach was empty.

"Mike?" Quinn put her hand on his shoulder, "What did Finn tell you? What's making you so upset?"

"K-Kurt…" Mike couldn't say it. He fell off his chair and sobbed on the floor. Quinn knelt down and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Mike." She said in a voice that can only be described as motherly, "Did Kurt, uh, die?" Mike shuddered and sobbed harder. The terror that raced trough his heart was killing him. He coughed and nodded. All he heard before he fainted again was Puck yelling "NO!" and Quinn sobbing.

Mr. Schuester lay in his bed. He turned over to look at the perfect shape of Emma's sleeping body. After the fire, they had raced to the hospital to check on the baby that Emma was carrying. This was why the couple was lying in bed at four in the afternoon. Emma had lost the baby. In all the confusion, she had fallen down the main stairs. After the fateful doctor's visit, Emma and her husband had gotten into bed turned off all the lights and just slept. Neither of them wanted to face the empty void where their child was supposed to be. Emma didn't want to think about the pink paint waiting in the closet to paint the nursery. Emma just wanted a few hours of not thinking about anything. A few hours to pretend it never happened.

Matt punched the dashboard.

"What a time to be stuck in traffic!" he shouted at the cars in front of him. "Sorry." He said to the two crying girls in the backseat. Santana had been explaining everything to Brittany as they rode to the hospital. It had taken a while, but she got it now.

"Sant-t-tana?" Brittany whimpered, "What happens if they all die, and we're the only ones left on the planet?" Santana looked at her best friend.

"Britt, that won't happen. I promise." She said.

"This is ridiculous!" Matt punched the dashboard again. Why couldn't he get to Mike? After fifteen minuets they finally got through the traffic. All three of them raced up the steps to the big front doors of the hospital. After going back and stopping Brittany from petting the stone lions, they ran up to the desk.

"Mike Chang!" Matt said as soon as they were at the front desk.

"I'm sorry?" said the lady at the desk.

"Mike Chang, our friend, is he here?" Santana said.

"Hmm… Chang, Chang oh! Mike Chang was here, but he was released. He asked to see Noah Puckerman." Matt felt a warm surge of relief. Mike was safe, but what about Puck and the other members of Glee?

"Could you give me a list of all the people from WMHS that were admitted today?" Santana said taking Brittany's hand out of the bowl of mints on the counter.

"Sweetie if you'll just sit down I get that for you in a minute." Said the lady with a sugar-sweet smile.

"Thank you." Said Brittany as they sat down. If there was one thing Brittany hated it was waiting. She didn't like the uncertainty and sometimes she forgot what she was waiting for and left before she got it. This was not one of those times. Brittany understood death. Death was when people took your hamster to a farm far, far away and never let you see them again. She didn't want any of her friends to be sent away.

"Here you are." said the lady as she gave them a piece of paper. Matt looked over the names.

Rachel L. Berry Released

John Hoffman Room 22

Rebecca Jackson Room 38

George Watson Room 46

Mike Chang Released

Arthur T. Abrams Room 81

Samantha A. Jorgensen Deceased

Noah Puckerman Room 41

Sean S. Thomason Deceased

Tina C. Chang Room 85

Kurt Hummel Deceased

It was a while before any of them could stop crying.

"Rachel, you have got to tell him." Finn took her hand and gestured to the closed door that led into Artie's room.

"I can't do that to him." Rachel protested, "You saw how hurt he was when he found out about Kurt. Think Finn, if you had just been trampled and burnt and then woken up only to find out that one of your best friends was killed would you want to know that I was in a coma?"

"I wouldn't want my friends to lie." He said almost coldly.

"Excuse me, is this room 81?" Finn turned to see Mr. Abrams standing behind him.

"Uh, yeah, sure go in we were just leaving." Finn said awkwardly surveying Artie's family. Artie's parents and a girl who looked about fourteen were standing together, but behind them was a boy who looked to be about twenty. All of them had the same anxious worried expression. Finn nodded and opened the door. After sharing a glance with Rachel they made their way back to the waiting room.

"Finn! Rachel!" was all Rachel heard before Brittany almost knocked her down with a hug.

"Do you want me to make some pancakes Em?" Will asked gently brushing Emma's hair off her face.

"Will, it's four thirty in the afternoon." She said. Emma rolled over onto her other side. She wanted to hide the tears that had caught her off guard.

"I know," said Will, "But I really feel like making you pancakes." He kissed her forehead as he got up. After turning on the light and trying not to look at the crib that stood in the living room, he made his way into the kitchen.

"Will?" Emma stood in the doorway, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." He sighed, "But I promise that it will work out for us." He took Emma into his arms and held her there.

"I don't think I want pancakes anymore." Will said, "How about I make you some pasta." Emma sniffed and nodded.

"Pasta it is then."

"Did the farm people come and take any of our friends?" Everyone looked at Brittany, "If they did maybe we could call them and talk or even visit." She continued.

"Britt," Santana said, slowly, "Let me explain something to you." She put her arm around the blond Cheerio and sat down a ways away. Rachel could see Brittany's face changing from confused to scared.

"I, uh, heard about Kurt," Matt put his hand on Finn's shoulder, "I'm really sorry man." Finn nodded and sat down. Why did it have to be Kurt? Why did everything have to go wrong?

"Artie?" Artie opened his eyes.

"Hey Sam." He said, spotting his little sister.

"You okay lil' bro?" Artie smiled as his older brother, Tyler, ruffled his hair.

"They say I'll be fine, but I might have trouble moving my left arm for a bit." Artie pushed himself up onto the pillows. "So," he said, "What's going on in the world of the normal?"

"Nothing." His father said, "It seems the whole town is buzzing with fear from the fire. Does anyone know what caused it?" Artie thought for a minute. He knew what started the fire, but…

"No." he said plainly, "No one knows anything."

"Who left these?" asked Samantha, smelling one of the daisies, "Was it Tina?" She batted her eyes playfully at her older brother.

"Samantha!" Mrs. Abrams scolded her, "Don't tease!"

"No it wasn't Tina." Artie replied, "It was that girl Rachel you saw her outside with Finn."

"Ooooo! Tina's got competition!" Sam giggled. Her mother rolled her eyes. Artie and Tyler laughed.

"Well, I'm taking little Missy here back to school" Sam looked at her mother in shock.

"Mum! I can't leave!" She said in an appalled tone.

"You have a science test that you are not missing." She said sternly, "But we can come back later." She and Sam said goodbye to Artie and walked out to the hall.

"Mister Abrams?" They all turned. Dr. Grumman was standing in the doorway holding a clipboard, "I have to go over some things with you." She said gesturing to the clipboard.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Mr. Abrams turned to his eldest son, "Take care of your brother Tiger." Tyler smiled. He thought his father had forgotten his old nickname. After Mr. Abrams and the doctor had left, Tyler sat down next to Artie's bed.

"You," he said, "have the worst luck in the history of ever." Artie laughed.

"Yeah, well if you look at it logically, I have the best luck in the world." Tyler scratched the back of his head.

"How the hell does that make any sense."

"Well," Artie began, "I wasn't supposed to live after that car crash and here I am today. And the odds of me actually getting out of that fire were pretty slim, but I'm lucky enough to have a good enough friend who will run into the fire to save me. And throughout all of these trials, my family has stayed together, I have never fallen behind in school work, and I'm able to play the guitar." Artie looked very smug. Tyler just laughed.

"And you have a girlfriend." He added. Artie smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn helped Mike down the hallway. According to the doctor, Mike was fine, but he should probably go home and rest. Halfway down the hall Mike stopped.

"What is it?" Quinn said. Mike reached up and brushed a few strands of hair off his forehead. "Mike?" Quinn raised her voice a little. What was going on?

"Kurt is dead." Mike didn't look at her when he said it.

"I know it's hard, but…"

"Kurt is dead."

"Mike you have to listen to me…"

"Kurt is…"

"Mike! Stop it! Listen," She grabbed his shoulders and turned him so she could see his eyes. "Mike I know that it hard to understand, but please don't shut me out. You have to go home you're not thinking clearly. Just go home and rest." He sighed and started walking again. They reached the waiting room only to be met by hugs, questions, and Brittany asking them if they were dead.

Will checked the water. Yep, it was boiling. He put the pasta in and watched the little noodles float around. He sat down at the table across from Emma. She looked up at him and smiled slightly.

"I've made up my mind Will." She said.

"Made up your mind?" Will looked at her.

"I'm going to marry you." Emma got up and sat on Will's lap, "Time runs out too soon. I want to be your wife." Will ran his hand over Emma's hair.

"We have all the time in the world Em, and you know that. We don't have to rush into anything."

"I'm not rushing," Said Emma, "I just want to be with you all of that time."

"I want to be with you." Will kissed her. Neither of them cared that the pot of pasta was boiling over.

"Attention visitors. Visiting hours shall conclude in five minuets. Please make your way to the front exit." The members of Glee looked at each other.

"I guess I should get going." Rachel said, "I called my dad. He's coming to pick me up." The group nodded and proceeded to say goodbye and ask each other if they could get a ride home.

"Wait!" Finn called out, "I have to give you these. They're from Kurt." After everyone had taken their letter and left, Finn ran up to Artie's room. He walk in to see Artie and the twenty year old talking.

"Oh, sorry." He said, awkwardly, "I just came to give Artie this. It's from Kurt." Tyler took the letter from Finn.

"Thanks." Was all he said. From the look on Tyler's face, Finn could tell Artie hadn't told him about Kurt. Finn nodded and walked out. He still had the list that Matt had given him. He looked up Puck's room number and ran there as fast as he could. He got there just as Puck's mom and little sister were walking out.

"Finn," Mrs. Puckerman said, "How are you?"

"I'm holding up alright." He tried to sound calm but couldn't keep a small tremble out of his voice.

"I heard about Kurt." She said, sympathetically "I'm sorry." Finn knew Mrs. Puckerman from times when he slept over at Puck's house. She patted his shoulder and got on the elevator with her daughter. Finn walked into the room.

"Hey, Puck." He said.

"Finn!" Puck sat up, "Dude, I heard about Kurt. I wish there was something I could do."

"There's nothing." Finn said plainly, "I have to go soon. I came to give you this." Finn held out the letter. Puck took it and looked at Finn.

"Dude, what going on? You're all…" Puck trailed off, "I guess that's what happens when you lose… Look I'm sorry I…"

"Puck, I have to tell you something but you have to promise not to tell anyone." Finn sat on the edge of Puck's bed. Puck's eyes widened, but he nodded.

"Okay," Finn took a breath, "It's my fault that Kurt's dead." Puck put his hand on Finn's shoulder.

"I know it feels that way but you couldn't have done anything to help him."

"No." Finn looked hard at Puck, "They were trying to get him to the hospital, but I made them take Rachel instead." Finn turned to Puck with tears in his eyes. "I killed my brother." Puck lay back on his pillow and groaned. The pain medication was wearing of.

"Finn," Puck said, "You know that's not true. You may have saved Rachel's life. Besides, from what I overheard from the nurses, there was nothing they could have done. Even if he got here faster." Puck reached out his hand and put it back on Finn's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over this. You've got to go home and rest. Talk it over with your mom. All I can tell you is that I don't think there can be anymore bad news coming."

"Tina's in a coma."

Puck fell back on his pillows.

"Oh god,"

Rachel lay on her bed in her room. She watched the tears drip off her nose and join the little puddle on the floor. The guilt of not telling Artie about Tina was slowly creeping into the corners of her mind. She rolled onto her side and heard something crinkle beneath her. Rachel checked her pocket and found the letter that Kurt had written. With a small sigh she opened it. It read:

_Dear Rachel,_

_I would be lying if I said that I knew what to say to you. I do know that I wanted to say sorry. Sorry for all those times I teased you. Sorry for trying to steal Finn. Sorry for thinking you were just an annoying girl that I envied far to much. I know that there were difficulties in our relationship, but I still felt as though you were my friend. I also remember that you came and saved Finn and I when we were about to be destroyed. For this I thank you. I also thank you for the singing lessons you forced upon me, though I admit I never did those warm ups you told me to do._

_Rachel, there is one thing I wanted to tell you. When we were battling for the _Defying Gravity _solo, I threw the high F. I know you probably would have won anyway, but I thought you deserved to know the truth. Goodbye Rachel._

_Love,_

_ Kurt_

For a long time Rachel stared at the letter. Then she lay back down on her bed and surrendered to the forgiving world of sleep.

_Puck ran down the hall. He was drenched in sweat from the heat. He could feel the heat scorching his throat, feel the ash blocking his windpipe. The fumes surrounded him. Just a bit farther, just a bit farther, he told himself over and over. Then the ground was rushing up to meet him. _

Puck sat bolt upright in bed. _Just a dream_, he thought. The room was dark, but Puck could make out the basic shapes. With a sigh he got out of bed and walked over the bedside table. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them on. With a quick look to make sure no nurses were coming, he made his way down the hall. He didn't really know where he was going, but he needed to be out of that room. He walked up some stairs to find this hallway was lined with rooms like his. He looked in a few. He saw an old man, a young woman with one arm, and a boy about his age sitting up in bed. Wait a minute, Puck knew that boy. He checked for doctors and then walked into the room.

"Artie?" Puck softly called.

"Who's there?"

"It's me, Puck." Puck walked up to Artie's bedside and sat down. Artie squinted through the dark.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Puck sighed.

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"No," Artie admitted, "I can't stop thinking about Kurt." Puck leaned back and scratched his neck.

"It's tough," he said, "I wish there was something we could do for his dad and Finn, you know?" Artie nodded.

"I also wanted to say thanks." Puck continued, "For saving me back there."

"What was I supposed to do, let you burn?" Artie answered.

"Yeah." Puck said, "You should have. I never did anything to deserve that." Artie put his hand on Puck's back.

"You are my friend, Puck." He said, firmly, "And I would never have left you behind. No matter how many times you threw me in the dumpster." Puck leaned forward and pulled Artie into a warm embrace. Artie thought about all the torment that Puck put him through. All of the pain was redeemed in that one moment.

"Thank you." Puck's voice was slightly muffled, "And I'm really sorry about Tina." The warmth in Artie's heart was instantaneously replaced with cold fear. He broke away from Puck.

"What?" he whispered. Puck looked at him.

"Tina's in a coma. I thought you knew." Artie fell back on his pillows with a small cry. He felt hot tears falling down the sides of his face. There was a part of him that wanted to hit Puck and another part of him that wanted to die.

"Who told you?" Artie's voice was dangerously soft. Puck felt like he had, without meaning to, destroyed Artie's heart.

"Finn, told me. Listen, I'm really…"

"Go." Artie commanded him, "Just go." Puck got up and left. Artie slipped into a different world. A world with nothing but darkness, silence, and pain.

Mike sat in his room. As soon as he got home his mom made him eat something. A few hours later he had thrown it up. He didn't understand why he couldn't take the trauma. Did this mean he wasn't as strong as the others? All he knew was that he wanted to be alone. Then Mike remembered something. He pulled the letter out of his pocket and ripped it open.

_Dear Mike,_

_I wish I could tell you how much I admire you, but I find myself running low on time and also am not even writing this myself. The nurse who is keeps giving me weird looks and now she is telling me that if I don't stop talking about her she will stop writing. Anyway, I really only wish to say a proper farewell. You are an amazing friend, and I truly wanted to get know you better. Goodbye Mike._

_Love,_

_ Kurt _

Mike held the letter, his hands trembling. Fighting down bile, he lay down on his bed. Maybe if he could just sleep for a bit, then he could think clearly.

After the silent ride home, Finn had gone down to the room he shared with Kurt. Finn looked at Kurt's half of the room. Everything was neat and organized. Finn felt his throat close up as he crossed the room. With a sob he lay down on Kurt's bed. He remembered back to when he was three and he had asked his mother for a brother. Finn's mom had just laughed and walked away. It seemed that as soon as he got a brother the world snatched him away. Finn lay sobbing. He tried to remember the morning before this hell. He could almost hear Kurt telling him that his socks were miss-matched and that he would not be seen in public with him. Before Finn knew it, he had fallen asleep.

_The gun felt cold and hot at the same time. Finn looked up at the two figures in front of him. Both had fallen to their knees. Finn held the gun out in front of him._

"_Choose one" said a booming voice that seemed to come from all around._

"_NO!" Finn yelled to the sky as the two figures cried pitifully at his feet. _

"_CHOOSE!" the voice boomed. Finn looked down at them. Suddenly the gun went off, and one of the figures crumpled. Finn ran to him and turned him over. Blood flowed over Kurt's chest, staining Finn's fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding. Kurt's hand shot out and grabbed Finn's shirt._

"_You chose her." As he said this he began to fade away._

"_No!" Finn screamed as Kurt turned to ash in his hands. He felt an arm wrap around him. He looked. It was Rachel but it didn't quite look like her. Her eyes were all white and pearly tears were falling from them._

"_I'm. So. Sorry. Finn." She said without any emotion. Then Finn was falling through blackness. Nothing was there to catch him. No one was falling with him. He was alone._

Finn opened his eyes to see his mother sitting by his bed, stroking his hair.

"Finn, sweetie you were shouting in your sleep." She said, "What were you dreaming about?"

"I don't remember." He lied and turned over. Carole looked at the back of her son's head and sighed.

"Okay Finn. If you need anything, Burt and I are upstairs." Finn didn't answer. Carole left without an other word. Finn sat up and grabbed his phone. He dialed Rachel's number.


	9. Chapter 9

Rachel awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She felt groggy from sleeping in her clothes. She reached for her phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Finn."

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Can't sleep. You?"

"Well, every time I fall asleep, I keep dreaming about that diva-off Kurt and I had."

"I remember that. You won, didn't you?"

"I won because Kurt messed up on purpose."

"What? How do you know?"

"He told me. In his letter." Rachel wiped her eyes, "Finn, would it be okay if we talked about the times he was alive. I'm still subconsciously planning this year's sectionals and I need something to keep my mind off it."

"Yeah, sure."

At about two in the morning Rachel went back to sleep, only to dream of memories in which Kurt was strangely absent.

Santana didn't sleep at all that night. She had read Kurt's letter and since then hadn't stopped crying. It had read:

_Dear Santana,_

_I don't want you to worry about all the times that you tortured me. I never took it to heart. I know the real you is the girl who asked me what to wear for the fall dance and don't worry, that secret dies with me. I never thought I would have to send these letters, but Santana, I must ask something of you. Make sure that Glee continues. You will have to find a replacement for me. I know the others won't want you to but you have to. I think my heart would break if Glee stopped because of me. Keep it going Santana. Goodbye._

_Love,_

_ Kurt_

Santana kept going over the letter in her mind. She would have to find some one good enough to replace Kurt. Santana knew there wasn't anyone who was good enough to replace the small soprano.

"So you lied to me?" Brittany looked at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Brittany, we thought it was best." Her father said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Brittany shook the hand off.

"So you let me think that Teacup was safe and happy all this time? How is that right? How is lying ever right?" Brittany was crying. She got up and ran to her room. She ran to the cage that held Teacake, her new hamster. Sobbing she took Teacake out and held her. Brittany wanted to feel the softness of Teacake's fur because, as she now knew, Teacake could die any day. Brittany sat on her favorite beanbag chair and looked into Teacake's beady, black eyes.

"You don't want to leave me, do you?" Brittany asked the hamster. As Brittany suspected, the hamster didn't answered. All Teacake did was sniff Brittany's fingers and paw for a way out. Brittany put Teacake in her ball and let her roll around. Then she sat down on her bed and tried to clear the thoughts that were all muddled in her mind. Her cat Marmalade crept into the room. Brittany didn't notice. Thinking Teacake would be an easy snack, Marmalade chased the little hamster all around the room. Brittany heard the tiny squeaks of Teacake and picked up Marmalade.

"You stupid cat! You could have killed her!" Brittany shouted at Marmalade. Marmalade jumped out of her arms and ran out the door. Brittany picked up Teacake and put her back in her cage. Teacake went into the little burrow of sawdust Brittany had made her the day before. Brittany lay back down on her bed. She thought about the time that she, Kurt, and Tina had done the Single Ladies dance. Now, Tina was in a coma and Kurt was gone forever. Brittany got up and took off her jacket. She took off her cheerleading uniform and hung them both in the closet. She went to her dresser and pulled on her favorite pajamas. They were pink silk with little flowers on cuffs of the pants. She got into bed and for a moment tried to tell herself that it would be better in the morning. Just before Brittany turned out the light, Marmalade jumped up onto her bed. The tabby rubbed her fur against Brittany's cheek. Brittany smiled for the first time since she heard about Kurt.

"You are forgiven Marmalade."

Matt paced up and down his room. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Kurt lying on the gurney with his hands burnt and his eyes closed. Had Kurt known he was going to die? Can you tell when you are about to die? Matt thought it over. Is there a subconscious trigger that tells you when you are dying? Did Kurt feel the life leave him? What went through his head in the last few seconds of his life? Suddenly Matt felt disgusting, and intrusive. What business did he have to wonder about Kurt's thoughts or even about death itself? Matt lay down again. He closed his eyes and willed the picture of dying Kurt to leave his mind. It didn't. Matt sighed and got up. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and got down all the cereal they had. He mixed them together in a bowl and poured in some milk. He wolfed in down, put his bowl in the sink, and went back to bed. He didn't close his eyes though. He just lay there looking at the ceiling. He didn't fall asleep until about four in the morning.

Quinn opened her letter as soon as she got home. It wasn't long but it read:

_Dear Quinn, _

_You were a good friend. I hate to leave you behind, but am glad you are not coming with me. I wish that I could tell you this in person, but I can't because I'm probably dead. The nurse who I'm dictating to tells me that I am being blunt and that if I write about her one more time she will stop writing and I will only have half a letter to give to you. I think you were incredibly brave to keep your baby. You stayed proud the whole time. I never thought I'd have to say this, but goodbye Quinn, forever._

_Love,_

_ Kurt_

Something in Quinn's mind didn't quite fit with the rest of her brain. Kurt couldn't be dead. There was no way. Kurt was young, and strong. The fire killed a lot of kids; maybe there was a mistake. Maybe the doctors had shocked Kurt back to life like Quinn had seen in a medical drama. Kurt could be alive and everyone was freaking out over nothing. Quinn walked into the kitchen feeling a little lightheaded. She went to the cupboard, got a granola bar, and sat down on couch. Her mom had gone out to get milk, and Quinn wasn't thrilled about being alone after what happed today. She reached around for the remote still with that lightheaded feeling. Quinn found a channel that was showing reruns of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. Quinn opened her granola bar and settled down to watch. It was the musical episode (it also happed to be Quinn's favorite). When Spike and Buffy kissed the episode ended Quinn got up and walked into her room. She went to the mirror and looked at her face. It hadn't changed from yesterday. Suddenly it hit her. There was no way Kurt was alive. She collapsed onto the floor and sobbed. How could she have ever tried to deny the truth? Quinn felt wicked and evil. She had tried to forget about her friend. Quinn pulled herself to her feet and stared at her reflection. It looked different from when she last looked. Her face was changing. Her skin looked pockmarked and her eyes were dull. Her hair was thin and looked as though it had been falling out. Quinn closed her eyes. _No _She thought firmly,_ it's not real._ When she opened her eyes her, face was back.

Carole closed the door and sighed. She was trying, she really was, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay strong for Finn and Burt. Carole wiped the tears off her cheeks as she walked down the hall and up the stairs. The house seemed cold and unfamiliar, as though she didn't belong. Carole understood the pain, but that didn't dull it at all. Carole walked into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw a figure slumped over a glass at the table. Burt didn't look up. He didn't stop the tears that were staining the table. Carole reached out her hand and took the glass away.

"Thanks." Mumbled Burt. He looked at her with bleary eyes.

"Burt," Carole said, choosing her words carefully, "I think it might be a good idea to go to bed now." She put her arm around his shoulders and helped him to his feet. After making their way upstairs, Burt stopped suddenly.

"Are you going to tell him?" Burt asked quietly. Carole gasped and instinctively put her hand over her stomach.

"Not yet. Finn isn't exactly ready." Carole started walking again.

"Kurt never knew…" Burt whispered as he walked into his room, "And he really wanted a sister."


End file.
